My First Book of Japanese words

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

My First Book of Japanese Words is a beautifully illustrated book that introduces young children to Japanese language and culture through everyday words.

The words profiled in this book are all commonly used in the Japanese language and are both informative and fun for English-speaking children to learn. The goals of My First Book of Japanese Words are multiple: to familiarize children with the sounds and structure of Japanese speech, to introduce core elements of Japanese culture, to illustrate the ways in which languages differ in their treatment of everyday sounds and to show how, through cultural importation, a single word can be shared between languages.

Both teachers and parents will welcome the book's cultural and linguistic notes and appreciate how the book is organized in a familiar ABC structure. Each word is presented in Kanji (when applicable), Kana, and Romanized form (Romaji).

With the help of this book, we hope more children (and adults) will soon be a part of the 125 million people worldwide that speak Japanese!

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Horn Book Review

Twenty-four Japanese words are introduced, including those for several animals and other child-friendly items (train; chopsticks). The full-bleed illustrations are often unattractively placed two to a spread. Awkward rhymes contain seemingly random line breaks (e.g., "C is for chōchō, / a butterfly bright-- / red and purple, blue / and white"). Notes on pronunciation and Japanese writing systems are included. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.